Two's Company
by malachite157
Summary: Tarantulas makes a plan to get to Myst, but can the femmebot trust Rampage enough to protect her from him? Third in the 'Losing Face' series.
1. Default Chapter

Two's Company

**By:** Sapphire (aka Malachite157)

**PG** L

* * *

**Early Morning:**

Rattrap was undergoing an interrogation. Rhinox and Optimus had been pretty persistent on finding out just how he got hold of the beta model of Rhinox's signature blocker, why he never told them, why he chose to test it without their knowledge and why he took it in his own hands to find out what Myst was up to.

Rattrap, being the self-assured person he was, held his ground as best as he could.

He answered that he'd 'rescued' the beta model for safe keeping, that he was planning on telling them at some stage, that he'd wanted a chance to fiddle with it to see if he could get it working, seeing as 'Big Green had bigger things to attend to' and that he'd used it to conceal himself from any possible scanners Myst might have.

"I knew Depth Charge would botch up da job, so I decided ta help out a li'l. Look I know I shoulda told ya, but it was a catch 22 situation! If I told you I wanted ta field test da device, you woulda been angry dat I never told you about it in da first place. But if I field tested it an' proved it worked an' THEN told you about it, at least I'd have some'n ta be my saving grace. Da sig blocker works. Dat's gotta count fer some'n."

Optimus's disapproving glare on Rattrap didn't waver throughout his defending speech, but after he mulled it over for a moment, he softened.

"Rattrap, it's not about saving graces. It's about your well-being. We make sure we're in contact with each other all the time for safety reasons. If you'd been hurt out there without us knowing where you were, you could've ended up in serious trouble. What you did endangered your own life and worried everyone else."

"Okay, okay! I know. I'm sorry! But hey, at least I've proved Rhinox's original design, wid' a bit a-tweakin', actually works. And I gleaned a li'l more information about Myst and Rampage dan ol' Charlie Tuna did."

Depth Charge was, thankfully, not in the room. He was recuperating in the CR chamber for the umpteenth time. He wasn't badly damaged, but he needed some outer repairs. Optimus and Rhinox exchanged glances.

"Well the signature blocker could prove very handy. If you'll allow me to take a look at it, I might be able to create duplicates," Rhinox asked Optimus.

"Please do so. And Rattrap," the leader turned to the shorter bot with a stern look on his face. "No more snooping out without permission all right? If we do use this technology, it will only be for covert missions."

"Got ya. One hundred percent," Rattrap assured him. Optimus nodded once and Rattrap took it as a sign that he could leave. He was only too pleased.

* * *

**2 Hours Later:**

The first rays of morning pierced through gaps in the foliage. A beam of light managed to strike Myst in the eyes. She grumbled and rolled over. She'd only fallen asleep an hour ago, after lying awake all night trying to calm her nerves. Tarantulas had almost killed her, and what's worse, he'd threatened to do more to her after he'd removed her power converter. She knew that once stripped of a power converter, a transformer would suffer a slow and painful death. The spider had wanted hers for some reason and had ruthlessly tried to get it. She was pretty shaken up from the experience.

But what perhaps kept her awake even longer was what had happened to prevent that. Rampage had happened. He had found her lying with her chest open, paralysed and helpless. Instead of taking advantage of her dire situation, which he could easily have done, he had rescued her.

Myst had picked up some strange vibes from the crabbot on several occasions. She'd suppressed her empathic abilities for so long that she now found it hard to tune into the emotions of others. It was something she'd have to practice again before she could use it to its full extent. From what little she did sense from Rampage, she had been confused. _He_ seemed confused himself, actually. As if he were constantly debating on what to do or say next to her. It was because of this that she had been wary of him. But now that he'd saved her life, should she take that as a sign that he truly meant her no harm?

"Why couldn't I just be left alone to rot," she murmured as she shifted on the ground. She was beginning to feel restless and uneasy. She opened her eyes and blinked in the sunshine. A wind stirred the leaves above her and a few came floating down. It was peaceful in here, but she didn't feel relaxed anymore. Not after last night.

Rampage had promised her that he wouldn't allow Tarantulas to bother her again last night, and to that he'd stayed true. But it was morning now and he could be back at his base, meaning she was vulnerable once more. She'd spent at least a megacycle picking off the grey sealant on her wing barrels, but now they were functional she felt a little better. She couldn't allow the spider to sneak up on her again. She was lucky that time around, but she may not be so lucky in future.

Cautiously, she emerged from her hollow and sniffed the air. Nothing seemed out of place this morning. Even so, she felt anxious. Maybe hanging around alone in the jungle wasn't such a smart idea after all. Perhaps she _ should _ join a faction. Being Predacon, it seemed logical to join them, but from what she'd heard of Megatron she wasn't overly keen on taking that option. After what Rampage had told her about the Maximals and that Primal was involved in the whole X saga, well, the Maximals simply disgusted her. She liked neither faction and found herself still repulsed by the notion of joining either side. If she were forced to choose, she'd probably opt with the Maximals, simply because they were overall a softer race. Optimus Primal would make sure she were looked after and while she wouldn't put any money on his claim that she wouldn't be forced to fight for them, she did believe they'd respect her wishes more than the Predacons.

But then again, Rampage was on the Predacons's side, and in him she had a powerful ally. If he did somehow get his spark back, she wanted to be behind him and not in front when he 'got his revenge' on everyone.

She pawed the ground suddenly in frustration. She hated being so uncertain all the time! This was not the life she wanted to live! She wanted careless freedom, and even out here in these beautiful, untamed surroundings, she couldn't have that.

Feeling restless, she decided to make another trip to the energon mine. She hadn't had a chance to stock up properly yesterday. It was risky leaving the jungle and going out in the open, but she couldn't remain here forever. If she flew the majority of the journey, she should be all right.

With that self-reassurance she left took to the air and left her jungle home.

* * *

Megatron was still blissfully unaware of Tarantulas's failure to get a power converter. He was expecting the spider to turn up with one later today or at least early tomorrow. While he was eager to get his weapon functional and annihilate all the Maximals, he needed to do some ground work first. The weapon would require a lot of energon, and so he sent out Waspinator to retrieve extra.

Currently, he was watching the signature of his solider move towards the large energon deposit. Inferno had reported Myst had been there yesterday. Megatron knew the femme wouldn't be able to absorb it without a feeder. He also knew one of his was missing. He'd been watching Rampage carefully and fairly obviously so. Then he'd pretended to be distracted. The crabbot had taken advantage of his apparent loss of concentration on him and had stolen one from storage. Megatron had done nothing to stop him. He was far more interested in seeing what the crabbot might do with it. At first he thought Rampage just took it for convenience, seeing as he spent so much time out of base. But he had his own in his quarters, so he really had no need to steal.

After the appearance of Myst by the energon mine, Megatron felt that more or less confirmed his suspicions. Rampage had provided the girl with an energon feeder. But why?

Perhaps the insane crab thought he'd found a friend? Myst was an outcast, like him, and she didn't fit in with either faction. Rampage had taken to Transmutate because she was an outcast and a mutant. Perhaps he saw something in Myst's defiance of both the Maximals and Predacons that made him feel drawn to her. Who knew how his crazed mind worked?

In any case, it wasn't hindering Megatron's own operations, at the moment. Still, he'd keep an eye on it. He didn't like partnerships being struck by his troops behind his back. They usually led to plots to overthrow him in some way or another.

He quickly got bored of watching Waspinator's signature move across the screen, and so he left his computers to go to the storage room and sort out some spare parts. He'd get Inferno to help him. He didn't want any of his troops other than Inferno knowing about the development of this new weapon. It could lead to mischief among them.

If Megatron had waited several seconds longer, he would have caught Cheetor's Maximal signature appearing on the screen. The catbot was heading straight for the mines as well...

* * *

Waspinator would have preferred to have a more interesting mission than his current one. Megatron tended to use him just for dirty work and for diversions in battle. While he may have appeared it, Waspinator was not completely naive. He knew that he was abused. He was aware of how the rest of the Predacons had always sniggered contemptuously behind his back, taken advantage of him and treated him like a fool. Perhaps he was a fool. Putting up with the treatment Megatron gave him for all this time was reason enough to be called one.

Waspinator did have plans, though. He often fantasized about being a leader himself. He imagined himself as a successful commander with his own army. Megatron was smart, but he obviously wasn't smart enough, or else he would have won this war by now. Waspinator hadn't the foggiest idea how he'd go about winning it, but he did feel he was competent enough to try.

But Megatron didn't believe that. Not for a second. As far as he was concerned, Waspinator was just one more solider in his ranks. Expendable. Time and time again Waspinator had been blown to bits and abandoned, left to literally pull himself back together. No one cared about him. But then, no one cared about any of them. The only Predacon who cared about another Predacon was Inferno. The suck-up would do anything to protect his beloved 'queen'.

Finally, the energon mine came into view. Waspinator only vaguely acknowledged it and dropped altitude while his thoughts still remained in the clouds. He wasn't aware of an approaching Cheetor until it was too late.

Cheetor was sent on morning to mid-day scout patrol. He was told to fly over the energon mine just to see if he could spot anything unusual from the air. It was a mine that both the Maximals and Predacons used. While neither side was keen to share it, it was in neutral territory and halfway between both bases. They didn't fight over it for convenience.

However, if they did meet up at the same time there was bound to be conflict. Cheetor made no exception when he spotted Waspinator homing in on the mine. Immediately he flew over to the bug bot and rammed him from behind.

It was obviously completely unexpected as Waspinator toppled forward in midair and nearly crashed. He managed to regain his flight and quickly turned to face his attacker.

"Why catbot ram poor Waspinator? Waspinator just collecting energon!" he protested.

Cheetor hovered a few meters away, giving Waspinator a baleful look. "Preds hardly ever collect their energon in daylight. It's been like an unwritten law between us since we moved into the Ark. And you collected a whole bunch three days back. Why do you need to get extra? What's it for?" Cheetor questioned. He knew he was right to be suspicious. After all, they mined energon once a month, and the Preds had already taken their fill. Cheetor's orders were to be on the lookout for anything unusual and this _ was _ out of the ordinary.

"Megatron asks Waspinator to fetch more energon! Waspinator just following orders!" the wasp defended.

"Oh yeah? Well I don't buy that story, bug boy! So either you talk or I'll make you talk!" Cheetor threatened.

Waspinator groaned inwardly. Why him? Why couldn't he have one day of peace without confrontation?

"Catbot leave Waspinator alone!" he cried and transformed to robot mode. He whipped out his gun and aimed it at the offending Maximal. Bad idea.

Cheetor immediately transformed in mid-air and squeezed off two shots before Waspinator had time to react. The blasts wrecked his wings and Waspinator found himself plummeting to the ground. Cheetor was falling too, being unable to fly in robot mode. He transformed back into flight mode in the nick of time and opened a comm. channel to the Ark.

"Cheetor to Maximal base. I just swatted Waspinator. He was about to collect more energon for Megs, but he wouldn't say why. He became hostile, so I had to fire on him."

There was a lot of energon interference, but Cheetor could just make out Rhinox's voice on the other end. "I read you Cheetor. I suggest you move on from the area for now. We'll keep a watch on it. The scanners show Myst's on her way there, so Rampage could be with her, in which case you'd better scram."

Cheetor felt curious. He'd liked to have tried his own luck at convincing Myst to join them. He felt that everyone had gone about it the wrong way. Maybe if he befriended her first, she'd be more willing? But then, Rattrap had already gotten into trouble with Optimus for taking that matter into his own hands, and Cheetor didn't fancy pushing his leader's patience any further.

"Sure thing Rhinox," he finally conceded. He fired up his jets to maximum and sped off, leaving Waspinator broken on the ground below.

* * *

Waspinator had hit the ground with a sickening crunch. All his internals had been jarred violently while his external structure was cracked and battered. His wings were beyond repair unless he got to a CR tank, and his superstructure had absorbed enough shock for him to be immobilised for at least a couple of megacycles.

He'd landed, fortunately, a few meters away from the energon mine. Had he landed in it, he would have been cut to pieces and the radiation would have messed with his circuitry.

Even so, Waspinator was desperately miserable. Not only had he suffered a painful fall, but now he had to report to Megatron that he couldn't get the energon in his current state. Amazingly, his comm. link was still functional, and he opened a channel to his base.

"Waspinator to base."

No response. He tried Megatron directly.

"Waspinator...to Megatron."

"Megatron here."

"Waspinator...shot...down by catbot. Cannot...retrieve...energon. Requesting assistance," he wheezed.

He heard Megatron curse colourfully on the other side. "Useless insect! I don't know why I bother with you! You can drag yourself back home! I'm sending someone more competent."

Megatron abruptly cut the connection, although his bad mood seemed to linger in the air a while after.

Waspinator let out a pained sigh. He wasn't surprised at all. No one ever bothered to 'assist' him when he needed it. He wondered if they'd even notice if he simply never returned.

Feeling an acute attack of depression, Waspinator toyed with idea of of self-destruction. His existence was so miserable anyway and his chances of living out his dreams of being a leader so minute, there really was no point in being alive anymore. This war could rage on forever.

A rustle to his left brought him out of his pity fest. Someone was coming through the tall grass towards him. He was on his back and so he tried to lift his head to see above the grass. He failed.

He shut off his optics and waited for the inevitable. Whoever found him was either going to damage him further or taunt him. It was always one or the other.

When the rustling ceased and silence followed for a long time after, Waspinator reactivated his optics out of curiosity. Staring down at him was a strange, dark femmebot. He'd heard of her. This must be the one called Myst. The renegade.

"Fuzor-bot going to hurt Waspinator?" he asked meekly. The femme raised an optic ridge.

"Hurt you? Why? It's not like you're in any position to hurt me," she replied.

Waspinator managed a weak nod.

"Are your comrades coming for you?" she asked.

He sighed softly. "No."

Myst frowned at his answer. "No? Why not?"

Waspinator's eyes seemed to dim a little. "Predacons don't care about Waspinator."

Myst found she had no argument against that. "So what are you going to do? Just lie out here until you can move again?"

"Yes."

"But you're thoroughly damaged. Internal repairs could take all day."

"Waspinator knows."

Myst looked at the broken little bot at her feet. He was just over half her size. He obviously had a low self-esteem and was very unhappy. She felt a rare emotion swell inside of her. Pity.

"Will you let me help you? I mean, get you back on your feet again."

Waspinator's eyes brightened again and he looked up at her in a mixture of confusion and curiosity. "Fuzor bot help Waspinator? Really?"

"I'm going to try. But I need to call someone in to do it for me. I personally don't have the facilities. Just give me a cycle."

Waspinator nodded and she turned away from him and walked a few paces back into the taller grass.

She was going to contact Rampage by comm. link. He'd asked to her avoid doing so if she could, because he suspected Tarantulas and possibly even Megatron could be monitoring radio transmissions. But Myst decided she'd risk it. It wasn't like they were going to be exchanging important, secret information. She just wanted his help.

"Myst to Rampage."

A crackle due to energon interference, and then an answer greeted her audios. "Myst? What's wrong?"

"Meet me at the energon mine. I need you for repairs."

"I'm on my way."

She cut the connection and walked back over to Waspinator.

"Don't worry. You won't have to be in pain much longer," she assured him.

He blinked up at her with smiling eyes. "Waspinator thanks fuzor-bot."

* * *

Depth Charge shoved Rattrap aside to get a better look at the computer screens. The Maximal spy had taken over from Rhinox for monitor duty just a few cycles ago.

"Hey! What's wid' you!" Rattrap complained. Depth Charge ignored him and activated the scanners.

"There she is. X will be near by," he said, pointing at Myst's energy signature. He was talking more to himself than Rattrap, but the transmetal decided to comment anyway.

"So what? Optimus ordered everyone ta leave 'er alone. You know you can't go out, fish head."

"Oh and you're a great one at obeying orders yourself, aren't you rodent?" Depth Charge retorted.

Rattrap leaned back in his chair, folding his arms behind his head. "I break da occasional one. Sometimes ya have to. But dis isn't one of those times. Seriously, 'Charge. You gotta keep yer anger in check. Dere is more ta life dan huntin' Rampage, you know."

Depth Charge put his hands on his hips. "Oh yeah? Well maybe you'd have a different outlook if X had murdered all _ your_ friends and colleagues."

Rattrap's sudden and violent reaction to that statement took Depth Charge by surprise. The little bot surged forward and pointed at him accusingly.

"You think I haven't suffered a day in my life? I also lost friends! I lost family! And I lost 'em because of Preds like Megatron stirrin' up trouble back on Cybertron. It's da likes a-him an' his group of rebels dat cost me my happiness. I hate da Preds. I hate their living guts but I don't constantly go out lookin' for revenge. Because you know what, 'Charge? It ain't gonna bring them back."

Rattrap was shaking slightly and looked like he had more to say, but he thought better of it. He sank back in his chair and wheeled up to the computers again, pushing Depth Charge aside in the process.

An intense silence followed as Depth Charge stared at Rattrap in shock. He gradually digested the information and was just about to turn away and leave him when Rattrap spoke again.

"Best thing we can do to respect da memories of our friends is ta get on with our lives," he said softly and melancholically.

Depth Charge shook his head. "I don't have a life anymore. They were my life."

He quietly departed after that. Rattrap waited until the manta bot was gone before he let his face fall into his hands. He remained in that position for some time while he fought to calm his emotions. He couldn't bring it up, not even after all this time. The memories were just too painful.

* * *

Rampage rumbled through the grass in tank mode. Myst hadn't sounded distressed when she'd radioed him. He wondered what this was all about. Surely she couldn't have been damaged already? He'd been staying close to her area most of the time just to keep a lookout for her. He'd formulated a plan now that involved her getting his spark back and so he was adamant not to lose her. He hated to admit it to himself, but he'd grown to rather like her. He wouldn't go so far as calling her a friend, but she was certainly not an enemy.

A question had been niggling at the back of his mind and he had been trying to ignore it. The question was, after she had served her purpose, what was he going to do with her?

_Kill her, of course. I'll be unstoppable when I get my core spark back._

But somehow, there was something wrong with that verdict. Could he really destroy the closest thing he'd ever had to a friend? When he'd levelled the colony on Omicron, he'd been massacring people he either hated or didn't know. Myst was different. He'd spent time with her; amicable time. Did he have it in him to murder someone who'd never harmed or hated him?

_You're a monster, remember? A psychopath. A murderer. A soldier whose sole purpose is to kill other transformers. You don't have a conscience._

That's what they'd created him to be. A soldier without a mind or a conscience. It was because he had a mind that he'd rebelled against them and had thus proved to be 'treacherous' and 'unstable'.

He dismissed the question again and decided he'd make his choice when the time came. For the moment he needed Myst alive.

He broke into the clearing just before the energon mine and was surprised to find Myst crouched over...Waspinator?

"That was quick," she said as she stood up. Rampage transformed to robot mode and walked over to them

"Might I ask what you're doing hovering over this worthless bug?" he questioned.

"Have a heart, Rampage! Look at him! He's scrapped and alone. I thought we could help him."

Rampage pulled a face, then erupted into mocking laughter. "Oh please! Since when did you care about helping others?" he snickered.

Myst frowned and shot Waspinator an apologetic glance. The wasp just looked confused. "Crab bot help Waspinator?" he asked incredulously.

Rampage's laughter stopped when he heard that. He looked at Waspinator shaking his head. "No! Crab bot will certainly not help Waspinator."

"Come on, Rampage. It's not like it's gonna do any damage to your immortal spark. Just fix Waspy enough to get him on his way. Otherwise he'll just lie out here rusting," Myst persisted.

"So? What's it to you? Why do you care and more importantly, why should I?"

"Because Waspinator and I got talking and he says he thinks he's gonna leave the Preds. If he does, he could join us. Besides, having him around could be beneficial to me. Added security for when you're not there to fend off Tarantulas or any others who try to kidnap me."

Rampage rolled his optics. "You can't be serious! Waspinator's weak and unreliable. He's not worth rescuing, even for that purpose."

"Waspinator think fuzor-bot made mistake," Waspinator sighed.

Myst stood firm and glared at Rampage. "No, I didn't. Rampage will help. Even he knows he can't protect me always. And he needs to protect me until I've fulfilled my end of our deal."

Rampage brightened at the mention of it. "Yes, about that. I've thought of a plan as to how you could do that."

Myst looked at him expectantly, but he didn't continue.

"Well?"

"Well I'm not going to say it in front of the bug! He might leak the info to Megatron."

"I highly doubt it," she scoffed. "Waspinator's through being loyal to Megatron, aren't you?" she asked the battered little Predacon.

"Waspinator help crab bot if crab bot help Waspinator," he offered hopefully.

Rampage tilted his head thoughtfully. Maybe Waspinator could be useful. Especially considering the nature of his plan.

"I'll think about it. I need to discuss it with Myst first," he said finally.

Myst nodded and said to Waspinator: "We'll be back soon."

The injured wasp watched as the two of them walked away to a place where they were out of earshot.

Rampage folded his arms with a look of condescension aimed at Myst.

"So what's this all about?" he asked.

"I've already told you. Waspinator hates being a Predacon. I hate being a Predacon. You hate being one. None of us want to serve under the Maximals or the Preds. We're three of a kind. We should stick together."

Rampage snorted and shook his head.

"All right Mr. I know Better. Tell me your plan," she said irritably.

Rampage marvelled over her confidence with him. She seemed completely at ease with him today and was talking to him like she'd known him for years. Her ignorance of his true past made her very bold.

"Megatron keeps my spark in a small container. It's with him at all times. He usually keeps it in a subspace pocket when he's active, or by his recharge bed when sleeping. I...tried and failed to get it while he was asleep, once. What I want you to do is follow us out on our next excursion to battle the Maximals. When Megatron and I are both in the field, he'll order me to do something for him. I will deliberately disobey. He'll take out the spark cage and squeeze it, like he always does to force me to do things. You'll be waiting nearby, masked with my signature blocker. As soon as he takes the cage out you shoot it from his hand."

Myst had grown very still while listening to him. Her frown had deepened by the end of his plan. "That's it? You want me to shoot it from his grip? But won't that really hurt you?"

"My spark is indestructible. Sure, it'll hurt, but it's a small price to pay for my freedom."

"And then what? Someone will have to retrieve it before he does. We'll need a third person standing by to do that," she pointed out.

"Well then I suppose we've found a use for Waspinator," he said haughtily. "Only I'd prefer it if he do the shooting and you get the spark, for trust reasons."

Myst nodded. "It's a pretty simple plan, but sometimes simple is best. But what about after that? Do you even know how to fuse the core back into your spark?"

"No, but Tarantulas does..." Rampage leered and looked at her expectantly.

It took Myst a few seconds to catch on, and when she did she backed away with her hands held up defiantly. "Oh no. No, no, no. I'm not doing that."

"He'll be back for you Myst, and this time we'll both be ready for him."

Myst flapped her hands in frustration. "But I hate the idea of being bait! What if something goes wrong? Rampage, he tried to... Slagging hell! I don't want to do it!"

"Then how else are we going to merge the sparks? We need him for that, and I know just how to make him do it, too."

Myst stopped being dramatic and looked up at Rampage. She didn't like the look in his eyes one bit.

"Why do I get the feeling that your means of persuasion aren't going to be pleasant?" she sighed.

Rampage cackled softly. Her shoulders slumped. "Fine, I'll do it. But only if Waspinator can join us."

"Sure, as you say we need a third person anyway," Rampage conceded.

Myst turned to go back and tell Waspinator the good news. In truth, she was only helping him because she wanted someone else to count on should Rampage ever turn on her. She could sense genuine unhappiness from the little Predacon and was fairly confident that he'd stay true to his word. He was a simple bot who just wanted to be free of repression. She could relate to that.

"Come on then. I need you to do your healing trick on him, or he's no good to anyone," Myst said.

"After I heal him he will have to go back to base. It will look too suspicious if he hangs around out here. We have to play this game carefully, Myst."

"I understand," she replied lowly. She pushed through the grass into the clearing again and smiled brightly at Waspinator.

"Good news! Rampage and I have agreed to help you in return for your allegiance."

"Waspinator grateful," the bug said, although he looked a little uncertain.

Rampage kneeled beside Waspinator and grudgingly put his hands on his worst injuries. Myst's tone of voice changed to one that sounded reassuring.

"Don't you worry, Waspinator. You're not going to have to do anything too dangerous..."

* * *

Tarantulas was trying to avoid Megatron. He didn't want to have to answer for his failure to provide a power converter thus far. He'd been close with Myst yesterday, but had clumsily forgotten to keep an eye out for Rampage. It was obvious they were in league with each other. For some reason the maniacal crab was protecting her. This could be a problem.

Rampage's signature blocker hid him from Megatron and the Maximal's scanners, but it didn't hide him from Tarantulas. He'd programmed it that way. It would be silly to have his own technology used against him.

The problem was, he could only detect it on short range scanners. That meant that he didn't have much time to clear the area when Rampage came onto the scene. He'd have to wait until the crabbot was in the Darkside before he struck again. It could be a while before Megatron called him in, though.

The spider was doing his plotting in his lair. He decided to give Megatron a call and ask him for assistance. It meant he'd have to admit he still didn't have the power converter, but he figured Megatron would tolerate that. He needed him still and would simply have to put up with him until the completion of the weapon.

He opened a comm. channel. "Tarantulas to Megatron!"

Megatron's great purple face filled his screen. He looked irritated. "What?"

"I need you to call in Rampage. He's hindering my plans to get you your power converter."

Megaton's facial expression changed into one of curiosity. "Really? How so?"

"He's guarding the femmebot. Call him in and get him out of my way."

"I can't. He's eluding my scanners somehow and blocking my attempts to communicate with him."

"That would be my doing. He forced me to give him a signature blocker. Don't worry, I can locate him. I know how to hack into my own technology and expose him."

Megatron raised an eye ridge. "Signature blocker?"

"Don't even ask," Tarantulas warned.

Megatron nodded. "Very well. Send me the frequency codes and I'll call him in. I suppose I should call in Inferno, too. I just sent him off to collect energon. Myst's there as we speak."

"No, you can send him. I don't intend on striking in daylight. Too many eyes are watching. Just make sure the crab is indoors this evening and that there are no interferences," Tarantulas instructed.

"I'll tell Inferno to leave her alone for now, then?" Megatron asked.

"Yes. And you should know the codes I'm sending you will only expose Rampage on short-range scanners, although you will be able to contact him via comm. link again."

Megatron nodded once and cut the connection. Tarantulas eased back into his chair with a sigh. He hated doing the dirty work, but he had no other choice. He was alone in his mission to overthrow the Maximals and Predacons. While he worked on his own plans, he had to work with Megatron on the side occasionally. They both needed things from the other at the moment. Tarantulas wasn't worried about Megatron's super weapon in the slightest, even when it was up and running.

He wasn't worried because he had something far greater and more powerful in the works that, upon completion, would bring the tyrant and all his pathetic minions to their knees.

* * *

Rattrap stared at the monitors. Cheetor was coming in from scout patrol. Waspinator had remained where the cat had brought him down, only he was not alone. Myst was there too.

"Don't tell me she's striking up a friendship wid' ol Waspy too," he grumbled.

Optimus came into the room looking grim. Rattrap noticed. "What's up?" he asked.

Optimus sat down in a chair beside Rattrap. He rarely confided in anyone about his troubles, except for Rhinox on occasion. He didn't want to worry anyone else with them, but his current dilemma affected everyone.

"It's Megatron. He hasn't attacked or done anything in weeks. You and I both know what that could mean."

"It means he's plannin' some'n big," Rattrap sighed.

"Exactly, and we we have no idea what. I don't want to leave it until it's too late."

Rattrap nodded sombrely. After a moment's pause, he came up with an idea.

"Maybe now would be a good time to send someone on I dunno, a covert mission? Especially since we have a workin' sig blocker in our possession."

Optimus turned to him with a questioning look.

"Yeah I'll do it, if you want. Cheetor already reported in dat he found Waspy attemptin' ta collect extra energon. Dat in itself is suspicious."

"I heard," Optimus said. "It's not a good sign. I think we're going to have to check it out soon. Mind you, he'll be expecting that."

"He will, but den, he don't know we've got a sig blocker. I've snuck in dere before, I can do it again."

Optimus's face looked grave. "Are you sure? It's really risky."

"Eh, it's riskier if we just sit around and wait for him ta make da next move. Who knows what he'll come up with?"

Optimus nodded slightly with an expression of consternation on his face. "All right. Well there's no point in leaving it any longer. Can you go tonight? At least the Predacons should be less active then."

"I can as long as you let me skip dis borin' shift and get some beauty sleep," Rattrap said with a slight grin.

"You get beauty sleep when you're _on _shift, Rattrap."

"And dat's why I always look so handsome!" Rattrap asserted as he got off his chair. "Wake me up dis afternoon," he said as he ambled off down the corridor.

Optimus couldn't help but smile at Rattrap's off-beat sense of humour. He could be a pain at times, but he was also a relief.

* * *

Waspinator stood up and blinked in the brilliant sunshine. He looked himself over, flabbergasted.

"Waspinator is repaired!" he exclaimed.

Rampage got to his feet with a snort and regarded the happy Predacon coolly.

"I don't ever want to do that to you again," he told Waspinator grouchily.

Myst gave the newly healed bot a pat on the back. "See? I told you we'd help. Now all you need to do is...is..." she looked at Rampage.

"When exactly are we pulling this gig off?"

Rampage shrugged. "When Megatron and I are next out. I'll let you both know when that happens."

"Waspinator is confuzzzed," he buzzed.

"We'll let you know what you need to do on the day, Waspy. For now we want you to return to base, so that things don't look suspicious. I'm sure Rampage will contact you when we need your assistance," Myst said, exchanging a glance with Rampage, who grunted in response.

"Waspinator should head back," the wasp agreed. He transformed to beast mode. "Crab bot and fuzor should leave too. Megatron is sending some bot out here to collect energon." He fluttered up off the ground. He inclined his head towards Myst in a gesture of thanks, before rising up and flying off.

Rampage watched him leave, shaking his head. Myst put her hand on her hips. "What?" she asked.

He cocked his head in her direction. "You. You're making me soft. I can't believe I just helped that pipsqueak."

Myst's face lit up when she smiled. Rampage couldn't help but notice how attractive she looked when she did that.

"Hey, I also went a little soft, but it'll pay off. We could use his help, and you know that."

Rampage transformed to vehicle mode. "Whatever. We need to get out of here. I'll take you to a hiding place of mine that's closer than your jungle."

Myst transformed to beast mode and followed him there.

She'd never seen the ocean before, so she was captivated by what she saw when Rampage took her down to the beach. It was low tide and the white, soft sands stretched for miles on either side of her. A steep bank covered in a tangle of overgrown foliage that lined the beach provided plenty of shelter.

The hiss of the waters rushing up the sand and the salty sea air were all new sensations for Myst, but she enjoyed them. As soon as she set foot on the beach she fell in love with it.

"Wow! This place is magical!" she proclaimed.

"It's a quiet getaway," Rampage shrugged.

She turned to him. "You're an aquatic bot, so you can go under all that water, can't you?"

"Yes I can."

"What's it like?"

Rampage gazed out to sea. "Cool, quiet...refreshing. I'm more at home in the water than on land."

"I wish I could swim," Myst sighed wistfully. They both watched the waves roll forward and crash against the rocks and onto the sand for some time.

Finally, lack of sleep caught up with Myst as she felt her eyes starting to tire. She glanced over her shoulder and saw that there were plenty of places to sleep. She was nervous to go back into the jungle again. Out here seemed so far removed from the stresses of the past few days. She rather fancied lying down in the sand in the shade and getting some sleep. The waves worked like a lullaby to her ears.

"I'm tired," she declared softly. Rampage heard her though, and turned his gaze towards her. "You can sleep here if you like. It's probably safer."

"I was hoping to. This place...it's so peaceful."

"I'll leave you to rest, then," he said and turned to go back up the beach.

On impulse Myst reached out and loosely grabbed his hand. "Rampage wait."

He froze and she drew her hand back quickly. She'd surprised herself by doing that as well as him. He slowly turned to her. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was slightly open. For a moment she struggled to say anything.

"I... Won't you stay? Stay with me?" she stuttered.

Myst didn't need to fine-tune her empathic abilities to sense the surprise radiating from him. He made no attempt to hide it, either.

"You..." he began but trailed off.

Myst felt her cheeks burning. She hadn't meant to give off any signs. Already she was regretting that slight touch of their hands.

"It's Tarantulas," she struggled. "I don't want him to find me when I'm alone." That was true enough. Tarantulas scared the living daylights out of her.

"I suppose I could wait until you fall asleep," Rampage offered.

She nodded at that. "Yeah that'd make me sleep easier. Look, you don't have to... It's silly. I'm sure he won't attack again if you're just in the area."

Rampage turned around fully so that he was looking at her face on. She'd lowered her eyes as she tried to regain her composure by making excuses.

"I'll stay if you want me to," he said softly. He watched her stop bumbling her words and look up at him. "Okay," she finally decided.

She walked briskly to the nearest bushes and trees and he followed her slowly. She kicked some sand away and dug a slight dip in the sand in the shade. Rampage waited until she was finished and settled before he came up to her. She curled up in a ball in the dip and looked at him warily with one eye as he stood beside her. His arms were folded casually and he was looking out to sea again.

"Rampage?" she peeped.

"Mm?"

"Don't you ever sleep?" she asked.

Rampage chuckled. "Yeah, once in a blue moon."

Myst watched him a little longer, before she finally let sleep get the better of her and closed her eye. Her nerves had gone all a-flutter when she'd asked him to stay with her and they were still calming down. She really didn't want to give him mixed signals. She'd wanted him to be there because she _was _terrified of Tarantulas, and nothing more. Even so, she'd surprised herself in asking, and evidently him as well.

He hadn't teased her or made her feel any sillier than she already did. He'd calmly accepted her request. She couldn't deny that she did feel safer with him there. He didn't have to be there, though. He didn't have to agree to that, but he had.

Maybe he did care for her, however slightly.

Maybe.

* * *


	2. Two's Company Part 2

Two's Company

**Part Two**

**By:** Sapphire (aka Malachite157)

**PG** L

* * *

Myst awoke with a start. It was dusk and the air had cooled considerably. The sun had melted into the ocean, leaving in its wake a dull mustard glow on the horizon. Some stars were already out and the wind had picked up.

She sat up and rubbed her arms, mainly for comfort. She looked about her and saw no one. The crashing waves no longer comforted her. Rather they worried her as the noise masked possible sounds of approach.

"Rampage?" she called out uncertainly. No response.

She glanced over her shoulder. The tangled foliage was filled with shadows. She stood up and moved away from it. The moon was out in full tonight and somehow created a sense of predestination.

"Rampage?" she called out again and this time her voiced expressed her fear. Suddenly the huge crabbot was the only thing in the world that she wanted near her, despite his fearsome appearance.

And then she heard it. A terrible scream, carried on the wind. It rose up in pitch and conveyed pain..._intense_ pain. The sound made her blood run cold.

That scream belonged to Rampage.

He clawed at the earth and writhed as the surges of energy ripped through his body. His one hand clutched at his chest in a futile attempt to stop the pain.

"Don't you dare defy my orders again!" berated Megatron. The voice came from his comm. link.

"What...do you...want me...to do?" Rampage gasped.

The agonizing pain ceased and Rampage fell forward, hands preventing him from landing flat on his face.

"I want you to return to base. I have some things to discuss with you and the rest of my minions."

"I'm coming," Rampage grunted.

"Yess, you do that. I'm also eager to hear how you've eluded my scanners this long."

Rampage refused to reply that.

"Leave immediately, if you know what's good for you." Megatron cut the connection.

Finally free from Megatron's listening ear, Rampage allowed himself to heave a pained sigh. Soft thuds grew steadily louder and he sat upright to see Myst break out of the bushes. Alarm and fear were radiating from her.

"Primus, 'Page! Are you all right?" she asked frantically.

Rampage got to his feet in a fluid motion, hoping to hide the pain that still lingered in his body.

"I'm fine. Megatron just decided to give me a friendly jolt. He wants me to return to base."

"But I thought he couldn't contact you. I thought the signature blocker prevented that."

"It did, up until now," Rampage sighed.

He reached for a small grey device attached to his left side. It was so small Myst had never noticed it. He plucked it off and looked at it.

"Hmm..."

"What is it?"

Rampage bounced the little thing lightly in his palm. "Two lights. The one for the comm. is red. The signature light is green...which means he can contact me, but he can't see me."

"Malfunction?" she queried.

"I doubt it," Rampage said with a shake of his head. He turned to her, arm outstretched and his palm open. He was offering the device to her.

"You want me to take it now?" Myst asked.

"Now's a good time. I have a hunch Megatron's planning an outing, that's why he's called me in for a meeting. If our plan is to work, you're going to need this."

Myst stepped forward and took it. She looked it over curiously.

"You can put it anywhere. It doesn't matter," Rampage informed.

She put it on her hip and looked up at him. "Do you think Tarantulas will be at the meeting?"

"No. He'll certainly know about it, but he won't attend. I'm sure the 'malfunction' in my blocker is his doing, to enable Megatron to contact me and get me out of the way."

"So that I'm vulnerable," Myst finished. She lowered her gaze but Rampage could detect the fear easily. He was always acutely aware of it.

"This is going to be a problem. Tarantulas is a lot stronger than me," Myst voiced her concern.

"But he can't fly. Why not just fly to somewhere high and inaccessible?" Rampage suggested.

"You'll let me know when it's safe to come down?" she asked.

"I will."

Myst nodded slowly and opened out her wings. "Off I go then. I'll see you later."

Rampage watched her take to the air and transform to beast mode in a forward roll. With a few strong flaps she was on her way.

Once she was gone, he let out another pent up sigh. He'd been quietly fighting the urge to savour her fear. He felt drawn to her when she was afraid and old feelings of anger and hatred resurfaced in him. But then he reminded himself she was not afraid of him. That was the difference.

Myst was afraid to be _away_ from him.

How peculiar it all was and yet...a relief, somewhat. For the first time since Transmutate, Rampage had somebody who didn't revile him.

He found that strangely comforting.

* * *

Rattrap holstered his gun and took two bombs from the weapons rack. He opened his wrist compartments and inserted one in each. Lastly, he attached the signature blocker under his arm.

"You all set?" Optimus asked.

Rattrap looked at his leader and nodded. "All set."

"If things get hairy, Rattrap, get out of there, all right? Don't risk your life to prove anything."

"I'm already riskin' my life, an' I got nuthin' ta prove," Rattrap replied matter-of-factly.

Optimus opened the blast doors and looked out into the gloom. Rattrap came up beside him.

"Sumthin' big's happenin' tonight. I can feel it," Rattrap murmured.

"So can I," Optimus said. "Be careful."

Rattrap transformed to vehicle mode and revved his engines gently. The other Maximals were unaware of his mission, save for Depth Charge who'd serve as his rescuer should things go wrong.

"I'll be back before ya know it," Rattrap reassured him and then left and drove out into the night.

* * *

Megatron raised an optic ridge at the sight on his computer screen. Usually he let one of his troops watch the monitors but due to recent events he felt it important that he keep an eye out for strange activity. His patience had been rewarded.

For a minute or two, both Rampage and Myst had shown up right next to each other on the grid. Both remained stationary and then Myst's signature blinked off the screen. _Just_ Myst's.

So Rampage had passed on his blocker to the femme. Why? To hide her from him, or Tarantulas? Surely he wasn't so naive to assume the spider couldn't see past his own technology?

Whatever the case, Rampage was obeying orders now. He was closing in on the Darkside.

Megatron intended to keep him here for as long as possible. Tarantulas needed to be allowed enough time to track and retrieve the converter. If that failed, Megatron had a back-up plan that required Rampage, anyway.

He got off his 'throne' and turned to see the first of his soldiers to turn up for the meeting.

"Ah, Waspinator. All repaired I see. I don't recall you using the CR tank."

Waspinator buzzed uncertainly. "Waspinator suffered internal damage. Waspinator self-repaired."

"Right," Megatron said flatly, clearly unconvinced. To the small Predacon's relief he did not pursue the matter.

Waspinator looked forward to the day he didn't have to come under Megatron's scrutiny anymore. He lived for that day.

* * *

Myst had a gut feeling that she shouldn't go any place that was too far from Rampage. She chose a high rock formation that was within sight of the Predacon base. Even though she was closer to the enemy, she felt safer there than some far-out, remote location. From this vantage point she could survey the relatively flat, barren plains around the lava pits. Tarantulas's blocker may have hidden him from her internal scanners, but it did not hide him from her sharp bateleur eyes.

She was prepared to wait here until Rampage emerged from the base. It occurred to her that it might be a while before that happened. All she could do was hope he'd be out soon and sit tight in the meantime.

Rampage stomped into the command room. He realized he was he last to arrive when all the Predacon's turned from Megatron to look at him.

"Long time no see, crablegs," Quickstrike piped.

Rampage ignored him and turned to Megatron. "What do you require me for?" he asked the tyrant with forced politeness.

"Nothing just yet. All you need to do is listen," Megatron said. He turned to his troops.

"My fellow Predacons, I have both good news and bad news for you all." There was a collective murmured groan. Good news was usually bad news when it concerned them and bad news was usually awful.

"The good news is we're all going on an excursion soon. Within the next day or so, even. I have a surprise for the Maximals I wish to deliver, and you will all accompany me."

Megatron definitely had Rampage's attention at this stage. While the crabbot remained cool and calm looking, Megatron noted the light in his eyes. He continued.

"The bad news is some of you will have to act as bait, to lure some of the Maximals out."

"Oh no..." Waspinator grumbled.

"Only a small hindrance before a great victory, so you needn't complain, _Waspinator_," Megatron chided.

The wasp lowered his head miserably. Megatron tapped his fingers together. "I'd love to tell you all exactly what I'm planning, but I'm afraid that if I did, I might have to kill some of you. And that would be a terrible waste."

"Will you need all of us in the field?" Rampage spoke up. Megatron brightened at the sound of his voice. Rampage found that unsettling.

"Ah, interested in taking part, are you Rampage?" Megatron asked superciliously.

"I've got a lot of pent up anger I'd like to take out on something," Rampage replied derisively.

"You will have your chance then. I'll need you to do the knocking on the Ark's doors."

Rampage knew what Megatron was asking of him and for once he was not reluctant to do it. This was the opportunity he'd been waiting for. He'd be out in the open, presumably with Megatron near by and Myst would be lying in wait. If all went well, he'd get his spark back before he had to blast the Ark's entrance at all.

Rampage grunted disdainfully. He didn't want to let on that he was in fact eagerly anticipating this 'excursion'.

"All of you will remain in base for the next few days until it's time to go out. I don't want any of you straying and delaying my plans because of your absence," Megatron ordered them all.

Rampage cursed mentally. How was he going to alert Myst about this and warn her that he'd not be around for a time? All comm. transmissions were most definitely being monitored in here. Megatron already looked like he suspected him of something and so he'd be keeping a watch on him.

It was also a worry that Tarantulas wasn't here. Rampage had suspected as much, but now that he was trapped here there was little he could do to help Myst if she encountered the spider.

"I have nothing further to tell you. You may retire to your quarters," Megatron told them. Quickstrike and Waspinator left immediately but Megatron had to ask Inferno twice to leave. Rampage ambled down the corridor to his quarters, deep in thought.

Megatron was planning something, something which required him to be out of the way. This worked well for Tarantulas so he figured the two were in cahoots. For some reason they wanted Myst, or at least something from her. The femme had been vague about what Tarantulas had done to her. Rampage had seen she'd been sliced open, so the scientist was obviously looking for some internal instrument.

What could Myst possibly have inside her that was so imperative to Megatron's plans?

* * *

Rattrap was grimly aware that he'd have to get past his old defence shield. Sentinel shimmered down over the Darkside, morphing to fit its ugly form. He mentally cursed Depth Charge for being such a hard-headed klutz. If it weren't for him, he'd not have to contend with this extra headache. At least his signature blocker hid him from the scanners of the external auto-guns. Once he defeated sentinel, he was as good as in.

The Maximal transformed to robot mode and hid behind a rock. There were plenty of hidden cameras around here. He drew a gun from his left side. It was no ordinary weapon, however. It emitted a low frequency sonic pulse that temporarily disabled any electrical device in the area. After that he'd make a dash to the shield and dig. He had a window period of two cycles before the cameras reactivated. But the cameras were only half his problem. If anyone was actually being a good bot and watching the monitors, they'd notice when the feed stopped. The alarm would be raised and everyone would be on the alert for intruders.

However, being the clever bot he was, Rattrap had planned for that. With some minor adjustments to the blocker he was now transmitting a Predacon energy signature. That would throw them for a while and as long as he stayed out of sight, he could do a quick snoop of the base to see what he could find.

Exactly two and a half cycles later, Rattrap was doing just that.

* * *

Night had finally descended upon this side of the world and the wind had grown colder. Myst was perched on the rocky edge of her watch post and was currently wrapping her wings around her for comfort

Two hours had passed since Rampage had entered the Predacon base. Either this was a very long meeting, or Megatron was detaining him. Whatever the case she was beginning to get restless. She was cold and hungry and growing increasingly uneasy. What was going on in there?

And why did she care so much, she wondered. Once she got Rampage his spark back, how much could she trust him that he wouldn't harm her? The crabbot had some obvious violent tendencies. She didn't have to see him in action to know that. A number of times she'd sensed aggression from him, although he never acted on it. It was as if he were constantly battling to contain some primal urge to slag something, whenever he was irritated or angry.

She noticed he was very in tune with terror. Whenever she was afraid, he had a new alertness in his eyes. It was a peculiar thing - did he get some sort of kick out of it? Perhaps she was reading too much into it. Maybe he was just very aware of that emotion. After all, he was an empath and he did have an appearance that would strike fear into the sparks of most bots.

She couldn't say she disliked his company, though. She found him interesting to analyse and he had so far been diligent in protecting her. She doubted he needed her help so much that he would go to such lengths to look after her. So there was something else at play here - she just wasn't sure what.

She allowed her eyes to close a little. Beast mode was most comfortable for her in this position but she found urges like sleep to be more acute when she was in this mode. It wasn't that she was tired, really; she was just very weary of waiting. The uncertainty and feeling of constantly being on edge was very draining.

Opening her eyes briefly, she caught sight of a strange formation of birds in the air. No, they couldn't be birds, not at this time of night. Bats, maybe?

It was a dark swarm pitted against the starry sky and it was gradually getting closer. Myst narrowed her eyes and switched to infra-red vision. She gasped.

Those weren't bats. Those were

Before she could react, she felt a number of things crash into her from behind. Sharp stings and violent jolts of energy coursed through her circuitry. She turned around, only to see an airborne arachnoid heading straight for her face. The next thing she knew, she was blinded and overcome by what felt like thirty of the stinging, shocking little robots. She tried in vain to fight them, to scratch them off her with her claws, but it was no use. They were smothering her and then she felt herself lose her grip and fall.

She cried out furiously as she felt herself tumbling down. This was Tarantulas's work, curse him! She could almost hear him roaring towards her plummeting form in vehicle mode.

The last thought she had before she hit the earth was that Rampage would come for her.

He had to.

* * *

Rattrap blasted a rotating passageway camera before it had a chance to focus on him. He'd been doing this consistently throughout his travels through the Predacon base. Thanks to Dinobot's detailed description of the Darkside, the Maximals had created a fairly accurate holographic map of the ship's inside. Rattrap had been here before and so, with the map memorised, he had a fairly clear idea where he was going. Three places to check: the control room, the laboratory and Megatron's quarters. If something was going on here, it'd be happening in one of those three rooms.

The sirens were of course blaring and he could hear bots shouting to each other, racing through the corridors looking for him. Megatron's voice could be heard barking orders.

"Waspinator, get outside and check the perimeter! Inferno, Rampage, patrol the left wing. Quickstrike, you take the right."

It was only a matter of time before one of those dolts found him. He'd have to act quickly.

He turned the corner and immediately back-tracked. He'd almost stepped in front of Inferno, but the antbot was just turning into the corridor.

"Damn ant," Rattrap cussed. He glanced upwards. There was a vent not far from him. If he was quiet about it, he could sneak through there...

He took out his tail whip and speared the lid of the vent as quietly as he could. It was fastened tightly. He applied as much force as he could from the awkward angle he was in and the vent cover strained and broke. One lone screw came tinkling to the floor and Rattrap heard Inferno's approaching footfalls stop. There was a tense pause and then he could hear the Predacon breaking into a sprint.

"Slaggit," Rattrap cursed again. He withdrew his spear, judged the distance and sprang up. His hands gripped the edge of the vent and he pulled himself up. Even though he was a small bot, this was a very tight fit.

He scrambled forward on his belly, painfully aware of the clattering he made. He wasn't planning on moving far in this vent. Inferno would roast him within minutes. No, he had a different plan.

He stopped crawling when he came to the next vent lid and felt for his blaster. He squeezed it up from his side along the the wall of the vent, grimacing as the metal grated.

"I see where you're at, invader!" he heard Inferno's voice waft upwards. "Prepare to be burrrrned alive!"

"Not if I can help it," Rattrap grunted. He finally got his blaster in front of him, cocked it to the right, and fired. The shot blew a hole in the wall which led directly into the laboratory. Rattrap squirmed as fast as he possibly could, but not before Inferno grazed his shin with two shots. He gritted his teeth and heaved his upper body out of the vent. He fell out of the hole and landed, thankfully, on the floor and nothing sharp. He could still hear Inferno pelting the ventilation shaft with shots.

Rattrap didn't hesitate to search the room. He didn't have to search long, though. He pulled off a cover that was draped over some oddly-shaped object on top of a very large table. Rattrap stared at it. It was a mismatch of parts with only one central barrel running down the center. To him it looked like the possible beginnings of a gun, or some components for a complicated machine. He frowned. Was this the big secret? It didn't look like much at the moment, but that could change.

He reached to take a part but was given a nasty shock from an invisible force field around it.

"Yowch! Geez, whatever it is, Megs sure doesn't want anybody touchin' it," Rattrap thought aloud. His attention was drawn back to Inferno when the ant tried the door. It was evidently locked. Rattrap heard Inferno clumsily punching in a code and knew he had to get out of here.

"I guess I could just blow it up." He looked at it worriedly. Maybe this wasn't it, maybe he was wasting his time here...

Still, it couldn't hurt to damage a Predacon laboratory, could it?

He glanced around the room and saw nothing more of interest, and so he popped open both his wrist compartments and drew his bombs. He tossed one at Inferno as the antbot entered and then raced to the hole in the vent that he'd come through.

"Have fun bein' burned alive, ant!" Rattrap called as he braced to leap into the shaft. Before he jumped, though, he threw his second bomb in the direction of the supposed weapon. Rattrap was already squirming down the now holey vent when both bombs detonated. He tore his way out of his entrance hole and landed in a less-than-elegant position on the floor.

"Oi! My achin' back..." He sat up and rubbed the area of pain. That explosion would most certainly have diverted attention to this region of the ship. He had to get out, pronto.

He transformed to vehicle mode and travelled fast as he could down the passageway. Quickstrike turned into the passageway as Rattrap was leaving it. The rat didn't slow down, instead he rammed into the shins of the surprised fuzor and sent him hurtling over him. Rattrap's wheels screeched as he turned the corner sharply and raced to his destination: an outer wall. Transforming again in mid air, Rattrap squeezed off several shots and blew a hole into it. He landed on his stomach, skidded forward and out of the newly created exit and fell several meters to the ground.

In all the turmoil, Megatron had still managed to hear an incoming call from Tarantulas. He pressed his wrist to his left audio.

"I've obtained the converter. I'm right near the base, although I can see there's a fuss going on there. Is now a bad time to deliver it?" the spider asked.

Megatron glanced up at his monitors to see Rattrap speeding off into the distance, a flustered Waspinator chasing after him.

"No, now's as good a time as any. The cause of the fuss has left," Megatron sighed wearily. There were five of them in the base and they still couldn't locate the intruder. A beep sounded from his computer, alerting him of a fire outbreak in the laboratory area. How annoying.

"Where should I go? Where have you stored it?" Tarantulas questioned.

Megatron settled back into his chair, watching Rattrap's _Predacon _signature move away from the ship with mild interest. As if taunting him, when the rat was out of the danger zone, he switched his signature back to Maximal. Megatron snorted.

"To the storage hull. Wait for me there. I need to clear up this mess before I'm able to start work."

"Fine, Tarantulas out."

Megatron checked his monitors again. Five Predacon signatures were now present on the grid. He wasn't sure how Rattrap had gotten in or what he thought he'd achieved by doing so, but it was a clear sign that the Maximals were worried. They were certain he was up to something and this was their attempt to find out what.

Megatron had anticipated an infiltration attempt and so the weapon was being constructed in an off-shoot base room, in the storage hull. It was a well-sealed area and a less likely target for a snoop. He had, however, left some parts for Tarantulas in the laboratory. Now that was in flames he'd have to replace the promised load with more precious parts. He had extra, but his supply wouldn't last long if things like this kept happening.

He opened a channel to Waspinator, who still appeared to be hovering around outside the Predacon base. "Waspinator, get inside and help Inferno deal with the fires in the laboratory."

"Yes Megatron."

Megatron told sentinel to stand down, in anticipation of Tarantulas. He then checked the hallways were clear. Well, Quickstrike had just hobbled in and dipped his legs into a CR tank, Waspinator was now making his way to put out the fires in the laboratory and Rampage was very obediently still patrolling the left wing. He'd leave the crab for now. It was better that he was distracted for when Tarantulas made his entrance.

In fact, he very well could have made his entrance already. The spider was that sneaky.

He opened the link to Waspinator again. "When you've cleaned up in there, I want you to repair the damages the vermin caused to the rest of the ship. Only then may you go back to your quarters."

"Yes Megatron."

Megatron was briefly curious as to why Waspinator wasn't complaining, but more important things took centre stage in his mind very quickly. He got off his chair and made his way to the storage hull.

* * *

For the second time in as many days, Myst found herself lying broken on the floor. Her chest was split open, her circuits were severed and her power converter had been brutally removed.

Rampage had not come for her and she was beginning to suspect he never would. What good was she now to him, anyway? Without her converter, she'd slowly become weaker as her body was unable to absorb energon and she'd waste away. Her current energon stores in her body were being drawn on by her spark, but with the converter missing, the energon was not converted to the right form of energy and her spark kept getting shocked. This caused her systems to malfunction and gradually short circuit. In a few days, the damage would become too severe and she would die.

Tarantulas had been quick about it this time. She was already comatose when he started work on her and by the time she came to, all she could hear was the fading noise of his engines as he sped off.

She stared up at the stars, breathing steadily. The pain was immense and she kept twitching with the first signs of system corruption, but she was strangely calm. This was it. This was how it ended. For all her efforts to stay free from restraints like factions and allies, she'd still managed to get herself caught up with the Predacons. If she had just joined the Maximals, even on a temporary basis, she was sure that she wouldn't be in this position right now.

Well, she had made her choice and this was the outcome. There was no point in dwelling on it.

So she closed her eyes and hoped for sleep to take her again while she lay on the hard barren earth, dying.

* * *


End file.
